The Ocean Side of Washington Marine Resources Extension Programs Steve Harbell, Marine Resources Agent, Washington State University Grays Harbor/Pacific County Extension

Working hard!

Marine Industry Sectors AquacultureAquaculture Commercial FishingCommercial Fishing Seafood ProcessingSeafood Processing

What is the contribution of the fishing industry to the coastal economy?

Washington Coastal Fishing Industry Third Largest in the U.S. by Value 70 million pounds of annual production $90 million in personal income contributions to the coastal economy

All Sectors – Total Personal Income Pacific County Agriculture 3% Other 11% Tourism 3% Investments 25% Transfer Payments 27% Fisheries 11% $440 million total Timber 20%

All Sectors – Total Personal Income Grays Harbor County Agriculture 1% Other Earnings 39% Tourism 4% Investments 18% Transfer Payments 24% Fisheries 3% $1,471 million total Timber 11%

Landings - Grays Harbor County Pounds Value Dungeness Crab6,668,000$14,735,000 Ground fish3,119,000$ 2,473,000 Tuna2,139,000 1,742,000 Pink shrimp3,111,000 1,183,000 Pacific whiting 22,268, ,000 Salmon 807, ,000 Other fish 2,277, ,000 Total Landed Fish 40,389,000$22,438,000 Farmed Shellfish 892,000$ 1,847,000

Fisheries Sector – Total Personal Income Grays Harbor County Pink shrimp 9% Pacific whiting 17% Salmon 3% Crab 40% Crab 40% Ground fish 8% Ground fish 8% Tuna 8% Other 7% Shellfish 8% $42 million total

It’s rough out there

Commercial Fishing Vessel Safety Training Into your survival suit in less than a minute

The ocean is a busy place

Commercial crabbing operations Expensive Loss of Fixed Crab Gear Expensive Loss of Fixed Crab Gear

Tug and Barge Traffic Fouling of Tugs Required Expensive Repairs

Crabber/Towboat Lane Project WSU Extension Commercial Fishermen Tug and Barge Industry Shipping Industry WSU Extension Commercial Fishermen Tug and Barge Industry Shipping Industry

Towlane Chart for the Northern Washington Coast Open Fishing Area Towlane

Crabber/Towboat Lane Project Reduced gear loss for 1200 crab fishermen Fewer repairs for the 26 tug and barge companies Improved shipping traffic safety Spirit of cooperation between industry groups Reduced gear loss for 1200 crab fishermen Fewer repairs for the 26 tug and barge companies Improved shipping traffic safety Spirit of cooperation between industry groups

Shellfish Culture 25% of U.S. oyster production

Shellfish Culture Research – Extension Ties Western Regional Aquaculture Center, USDA WSU/UI Aquaculture Initiative Research – Extension Ties Western Regional Aquaculture Center, USDA WSU/UI Aquaculture Initiative

Burrowing Shrimp

Shrimp Control With Carbaryl

Spartina the invasive cordgrass

Spartina the really big cordgrass

Spartina Control Habitat - new herbicide development

Better Weather Forecasts Would be Great

Inaccurate Weather Forecasts Costs to industry Safety issue

Doppler Weather Radar nothing west of us

Data over/near the Ocean Surface Buoy Data CMAN Stations Ship reports USCG reports NOS Data Scatterometer Data Upper Air Aircraft reports Satellite data Radar Data limited by beam height, distance and time

Observations Buoy Data C-MAN Stations Data Sparse - especially 20nm to 300nm

Doppler Weather Radar

Beam elevation with Distance Range (km) Altitude (kft)

How can we improve Weather Forecasts & Services Increase buoy network (more data) Increase surface observations -Ship reports -- VOS & MaRep programs - Meteorological sensors - Wind Profilers - Buoy mounted profilers - Radar data

Coastal Storms Initiative (CSI) Improved Oceanographic and Meteorological Observations A 3 year study to help predict, deal with, and clean up after coastal storms Covers the area from Tillamook Bay to Grays Harbor Oregon State University, WSU Grays Harbor Extension and National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) partnership

Coastal Storms Initiative (CSI) Improved Oceanographic and Meteorological Observations New Buoy deployed (46.00N, f) - May 2004: Build buoy - July 2004: Ship buoy - Sept 2004: Deploy buoy Profiler (AST) Meteorological sensors on water level stations at: - Astoria - South Beach - Loise Point

New Weather Buoy miles west of Seaside, Oregon Better wind and wave data

The VOS Program (Voluntary Observation Program) A worldwide program under the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) to recruit ships to voluntarily observe and report marine meteorological and oceanographic conditions to ensure the safety of life at sea and reduce commercial loss

Good connections are important!